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A baby hippo was born on September 11 at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Photo by Anthony Dorian / Taronga Western Plains Zoo.

A baby hippo made its grand entrance at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, Australia. Born to mother Cuddles and father Mana on September 11, the calf weighs 40 kg. The sex of the newborn has yet to be determined by zoo staff.

“It’s very much early days still, so we are keeping a close eye on both mum and calf, but so far Cuddles is proving to be a good, attentive mother,” said Hippo Keeper, Carolene Magner.

She added, “Over the coming months we will start to see the calf grow and develop more and hopefully start to come out of the water with its mother at feed time.”

On July 3rd, Nashville Zoo welcomed a new fuzzy face- a female red panda cub! Both the cub and her mother are doing well in their off exhibit den.

“This is the first birth of a red panda at Nashville Zoo, so it is certainly cause for celebration,” said Karen Rice, carnivore supervisor. “Though the cub can’t be seen on exhibit right now, we hope she will make her debut this fall and bring attention to the fight to save this species.”

Red pandas are considered vulnerable of extinction. In the wild, they inhabit the mountains of central China, Nepal, and northern Myanmar. Threats to their survival include habitat loss and high infant mortality rates.

The Nashville Zoo’s red panda pair are part of AZA’s Species Survival Program, which is a breeding program that aims to produce a self-sustaining, genetically diverse captive population.

Say hello to Rosea, the baby koala who recently emerged from her mother’s pouch at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Photo by Natacha Richards, Taronga Western Plains Zoo.

At the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, Australia, visitors got the first glimpse of a new fuzzy face! A female koala joey, named Rosea after a species of flowering eucalypt, emerged from her mother’s pouch.

“Rosea is approximately eight-months-old and is a little shy at present, preferring to stay close to mum’s chest but in the coming months will start to move on to her mother’s back,” said keeper Natacha Richards.

The zoo has two more koala joeys and many wallaby joeys that have yet to emerge from their mothers’ pouches. So visitors to the zoo will have a lot to look forward to!

My Petting Zoo in Scottsdale, AZ has welcomed one of the few documented offspring of a female sheep and a male goat. Butterfly, as she’s been named, has the features of a goat and the curly wool of a lamb.

Two young Komodo dragons have arrived at Nashville Zoo! Photo courtesy of Nashville Zoo.

Two juvenile Komodo dragons are now on view at the Nashville Zoo! They measure about two feet long and weigh two pounds now, but they will eventually grow to be over nine feet long and weigh around 200 pounds!

In the wild, Komodo dragons live in the volcanic islands of Indonesia. They are carnivorous apex predators, which means they are at the top of the food chain with few to no other predators. In one meal, they can eat 80% of their body weight (over 100 pounds of meat!).

Fewer than 2,500 Komodo dragons remain in the wild, and the IUCN considers them vulnerable. Threats include habitat loss, loss of prey species, hunting, and persecution.

Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, FL welcomed a female klipspringer calf on June 15. She weighed two pounds at birth and is doing well.

The zoo staff are especially excited over this special birth because the little calf’s mother Vera has a history of medical issues. In May 2013, Vera came to Brevard Zoo with an injured leg. After an extensive surgery, Vera developed an infection in her leg and veterinarians had to amputate it.

The baby klipspringer with her parents, Vera and Marley. Photo courtesy of Brevard Zoo.

Despite her physical disability, Vera was able to hop around the yard and onto the rocks with just three legs. Now, with the birth of the little calf, Vera is showing she is a great mother as well.

In the wild, klipspringers inhabit the rocky terrain of eastern and southern Africa. They are very agile creatures, able to leap and balance on very steep, narrow ledges. In fact, the word klipspringer translates to “rock jumper”.

Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago announced the birth of 13 eastern massasauga rattlesnakes, an endangered species in Illinois. The snakes were born on June 20.

“We are overjoyed by the arrival of this litter,” said Diane Mulkerin, curator at Lincoln Park Zoo. “The zoo is extremely enthusiastic about the significant positive impact these rattlesnakes will have on this endangered population.”

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Park Zoo.

The baby rattlesnakes are the size of a US quarter when coiled, but they can grow to be 30 inches long. In the wild, eastern massasauga rattlesnakes ranges from the Midwest to New York and Ontario and inhabits forests, fields, and marshes.

Despite being less than a week old, the baby dromedary camel at Memphis Zoo already weighs 68 pounds and measures 3 feet tall! The male camel calf was born on Thursday, June 12 to parents Mona Lisa and Solomon.

Mama and baby are doing well in the Camel Excursion exhibit at the zoo. The newborn will spend the next 18 months nursing from his mother.

According to Matt Thompson, Director of Animal Programs, “Similar to giraffes, the most important things we look for are the calf’s ability to stand as well as nurse. He is already walking and has nursed several times.”

Photo courtesy of Memphis Zoo.

Dromedary camels are one of two species of camels, with the other species being Bactrian. Dromedary (aka Arabian camels) have only one hump, while Bactrian camels have two.

Four trumpeter swans were born this week at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Photo by Todd Rosenberg / Lincoln Park Zoo.

Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago welcomed four baby trumpeter swans (called cygnets) on June 2 and 3 to two sets of parents. The cygnets are already exploring the zoo’s McCormick Swan Pond with their parents.

The young swans will learn all the necessary survival skill at the zoo, including swimming and feeding independently on seeds, grains, wetland plants, insects, and small fish. Then, in the fall, the swans will be released into the wild in Iowa as part of a collaborative reintroduction program with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

“It’s amazing to see how resilient this species truly is,” said Hope B. McCormick Curator of Birds, Sunny Nelson. “Twenty years ago these birds were nearly extinct and are beginning to make quite the comeback, due in part to reintroduction collaborations such as with the Iowa DNR.”

Photo by Todd Rosenberg / Lincoln Park Zoo.

Trumpeter swans are the largest waterfowl in North America. They are easily identified by their black bills, white plumage, and 8-feet wingspans. Usually, trumpeter swans mate for life.

Meet Mimi, a baby hamadryas baboon born at the Oakland Zoo on May 21st! The little baboon is settling in well, nursing with her mother, Maya.

Baby baboon, Mimi, with her mother Maya. Photo by Oakland Zoo.

Mimi has two older siblings, Kodee and Mocha, who are very curious about her.

“This new baby is great because not only do we have parent raised baboons, but the other two youngsters are able to witness and participate in infant care, which will only make them better mothers in the future,” said Margaret Rousser, Zoological Manager at Oakland Zoo.

Hamadryas baboons live in groups called troops. They eat vegetables, insects, and red meat. In the wild, they inhabit Ethiopia, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.